It was a strange place to hear the news. I was taking a quick break in the small, 11th floor conference room when I casually glanced down at the headline on my iPhone and saw the words, "Massacre at Connecticut Elementary School. " I slowly picked my head up, barely noticing the expansive Las Vegas skyline outside the windows, and took a deep breath before heading back into the mediation. For the past three hours I had been observing my friend mediate a fairly straightforward legal dispute.

The Costa Mesa City Council talks about transparency and running the city like a business, yet it appears to lack even the most basic business practices. Two members asked to have a subsidy to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) convention in Las Vegas. Attending a developer conference to promote our city makes sense. Let's put aside that this convention provides business opportunities for developers and these two councilmen (also in real estate) would probably be attending whether or not the city subsidized them.

Barry Faulkner There was the trademark toss of his No. 91 jersey into the postgame crowd. But, since a hamstring injury relegated him to the sideline for all but the first 2:18 of Thursday night's Orange County Crush home American Basketball Association debut against the Las Vegas Rattlers, Dennis Rodman left it to teammate Jeremee McGuire to provide the last-second heroics at the Bren Events Center. The 6-foot-11 McGuire, out of the University of Houston, did his best Rodman imitation -- collecting an offensive rebound off a missed 19-foot jumper by Derrick Dial and laying it in with one second left for the difference in a 124-123 Crush victory before about 300 spectators.

Deepa Bharath A Newport Beach con man who allegedly masqueraded as an attorney and eluded FBI officials for almost a week was arrested Tuesday in Las Vegas, officials said. FBI agents had been looking for Harold David Goldstein, 58, since his indictment Wednesday on two counts of making false declarations by telling a federal court that he was a licensed attorney, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeannie Masse. Harold Goldstein used the name of David Goldstein, a real attorney in Redwood City, she said.

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, Kyle Wilson, the starter at Costa Mesa Country Club, is in Las Vegas, but he’s no longer in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship. Wilson, a Costa Mesa native, said Friday night that he’s just hanging out with friends in Sin City after getting eliminated from competition after seven rounds. “I’m probably going to end up somewhere in the middle of the pack when everything is over [tonight],” said the 33-year-old, who qualified for the event for the second time.

On Oct. 28, Brenda Chandler of Costa Mesa was down the street visiting with her sister when the bank called telling her that someone in Las Vegas had withdrawn $500 from her account that day. "My husband called me and sort of joking asked if I was in Las Vegas," Chandler said. Her husband had just gotten off the phone with their bank, which notified him that her debit card information had been used that weekend to withdraw $1,500 from ATMs in casinos. When she received her bank statement, Chandler discovered that the thieves had withdrawn $500 at a time, at the New York, New York, and Sahara casinos, and at a 7-Eleven along South Boulder Highway.

Walid Khoury and his identical twin brother Ziad picked a perfect name when launching a Newport-Mesa soccer club eight years ago. The Slammers fit, more so than ever. "We're definitely slamming the door on the competition," Walid said. The Slammers sure are as they're sending a record six girls' teams to the U.S. Youth Soccer Far Western Regionals, a seven-day tournament starting today in Las Vegas. The Slammers' teams qualifying out of the U.S. Youth Soccer State Championships are the under-12, under-14, under-15, under-16, all which finished first, and the under-17 and under-18, which were runner-ups.

Former Newport Beach restaurateur Sid Soffer — a maverick who lived by his own codes, often not exactly the government's — died Tuesday morning in Las Vegas after fighting leukemia and diabetes. He was 74. Soffer had been a self-proclaimed "fugitive" since 1995, when he left California for Las Vegas to avoid being arrested for building-code violations. But he always intended to come back and finish the fight. "I'm definitely coming back," Soffer told the Daily Pilot in 2000.

Thomas J. Fitz of Las Vegas, Nev., and Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Hillman of Balboa Island have announced the engagement of their daughter, Danielle B. Fitz, to William "Tony" A. Spear, both of Jacksonville, Fla. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William L. Spear of Palm Coast, Fla. The bride-to-be is a graduate of Corona del Mar High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The groom-to-be is a graduate of Corona del Mar High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville University, where he earned his master's degree in business administration.

The Newport Beach Police Department cashed in bragging rights in Las Vegas this month when it claimed its 10th straight divisional win in a 120-mile relay race for law enforcement agencies. Teams of 20 runners - plus support personnel and alternates - from 251 agencies competed in the 30th annual Baker to Vegas 120-Mile Challenge Cup Relay on March 22 and 23. The nonstop race starts just outside Baker in the evening, heads through the Mojave Desert and ends when the teams' final runners cross the finish line in Las Vegas.

In a competitive business environment, Costa Mesa needs to, well, compete. That was the message told to residents this week from a report outlining the city's activities last month at the International Council of Shopping Centers RECon conference in Las Vegas. Mayor Jim Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger - both of whose professional backgrounds are in real estate development and management - city CEO Tom Hatch and three other officials attended the event, which took place May 19 to 22. Their goal was to lure "top-level retail and dining establishments" to the City of the Arts, according to city staff.

Earlier this week the Costa Mesa City Council gave unanimous approval for city representatives to attend an upcoming out-of-state convention, though not without discussing the intricacies of doing so on the city's dime. Mayor Jim Righeimer, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger, city CEO Tom Hatch and three other city officials are scheduled to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers' annual Las Vegas convention in May, which, according to city staff, helps Costa Mesa "attract and retain top-level retail and dining establishments.

Celesta Thayer Gosline ascended peacefully to Heaven early Sunday morning, 3/3. She is now in the loving arms of her husband of 56 years, Bill, and daughter, Janet Lee. After eloping to Las Vegas in 1950, she cherished her role as homemaker in Arcadia, Los Altos Hills, and Corona Del Mar. When time allowed while raising 3 rambunctious children, she studied and eventually taught Yoga. Her 3 favorite sports were tennis and snow and water skiing. She is survived by sons Papaha (Jeff) and Jim, daughter-in-law Bonnie, and grandson Will.

Ron and Linda Davies are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary. The couple met in 1962 while both worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. After a brief courtship, they were married on March 2, 1963 at Wee Kirk of the Heather Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Their honeymoon followed in Death Valley. Ron and Linda have lived in Costa Mesa for the past 46 years, where they raised three children- Ken, Colleen and Robert. Now both retired, they enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends.

For anyone involved in the consumer tech industry, the 2013 International CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is the holy grail of exposure and opportunity. The largest such tradeshow in the world, CES attracts more than 150,000 attendees eager to see what's next in the world of tech and online content. The show is open to those with affiliation to the consumer electronics industry, such as engineers, buyers and industry analysts, as well as the press. Many local companies were in attendance this year, including three from Irvine who made waves at the event.

It was a strange place to hear the news. I was taking a quick break in the small, 11th floor conference room when I casually glanced down at the headline on my iPhone and saw the words, "Massacre at Connecticut Elementary School. " I slowly picked my head up, barely noticing the expansive Las Vegas skyline outside the windows, and took a deep breath before heading back into the mediation. For the past three hours I had been observing my friend mediate a fairly straightforward legal dispute.

IN MEMORIAM October 20, 2012 NICHOLAS J. DEBLIS DeBlis, Nicholas James, long time resident of Big Canyon in Newport Beach, passed away at his home in Coto de Caza on October 18, 2012. He was born in Millburn, NJ, on May 9, 1927, the son of Italian immigrants and one of 12 children. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17 and saw action during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, retiring as a Major after 22 years of service. In Copenhagen in addition to his official duties he served as escort to Ambassador Eugenie Anderson, the first woman appointed chief of mission at the ambassador level in U.S. history.